JBL Xtreme 3 in review: The portable bass monster with style
A TEST REPORT from Jonas Wilhelm 
on October 21, 2022, 12:00 am | Write a comment
With the JBL Xtreme 3, the manufacturer presented the third generation of the Xtreme series. We tested the Xtreme 3 for you for three weeks.
For a price of around 270 euros you get a very stylish speaker with very good battery life and great sound. You can read below how the JBL Xtreme 3 has fared in everyday life over the past three weeks.
Picture: TechnikNews
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Design & processing
I really like the design of the JBL Xtreme 3. The speaker is 298 millimeters long, 136 millimeters high and 134 millimeters wide. The weight is given as almost 2 kilograms. The speaker is covered with some kind of fabric, which feels very high quality. There are rubber feet on both sides and on the bottom of the speaker. The passive drivers on the sides are made of plastic and have an exclamation mark on them, which is typical for JBL. The JBL logo is shown in large on the front, which offers a 3D look and looks quite stylish. Below the JBL logo is the LED bar that shows the current charge level.
Picture: TechnikNews
The buttons that are there to control the speaker are on the top of the Xtreme 3 and have a good pressure point. Also on the top are the metal mounting options for the optional carrying strap. The connections are hidden under a rubber cover, which is used for better protection against water and dust. The speaker offers a USB-C port for charging, a 3,5mm jack and a USB-A port for charging other devices such as the connected smartphone, which is an extremely useful feature. The speaker is also protected against water and dust with IP67.
Klang
The Xtreme 3 has two woofers and two tweeters, each with an output of 25 watts, which corresponds to a total output of 100 watts RMS. There are 2 passive drivers on the sides, which are supposed to provide a higher bass pressure. The drivers can reproduce sounds in a dynamic frequency range from 53,5 Hz to 20 kHz. These values can really be seen on paper. The sound of the Xtreme 3 is really extremely good. The highs and mids are very detailed and balanced. The biggest positive feature of the sound, however, is the bass, which completely convinced me because it is very deep and still does not overdrive the sound. However, if you are not a big bass fan, you can use the equalizer in the JBL Portable App to customize and refine the sound according to your personal preferences. The speaker can get very loud, which is really good and can be useful in certain situations, but overdrives at volume levels above 80 Procent clearly.
Battery life
The manufacturer specifies the battery life of the speaker as up to 15 hours. At a normal everyday volume, the Xtreme 3 even lasts a little longer than the specified 15 hours. At higher volume, however, you clearly notice how the power consumption increases and the battery life decreases. Overall, the battery life is good, but it could be better. Once the battery is empty, it takes about 2,5 hours to be fully charged via the USB-C port. A 35 watt USB-C power adapter is included.
JBL Portable app
After connecting the speaker to a smartphone, the user can download the JBL Portable App from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. When you first open the app, it recognizes and displays the connected speaker. It's pretty minimalistic and doesn't offer a lot of features. The speaker's current battery level is displayed, the user can change the name of their device and also install software updates. There is also an equalizer that can be used to customize the sound of the speaker according to personal preferences. If you want to connect several JBL speakers together, Partyboost can also be controlled via the app.
JBL Portable App (Image: TechnikNews)
Prices and availability
As of October 2022, the price of the loudspeaker at around 270 euros is already significantly cheaper than the RRP, which was 329 euros at the market launch. The speaker is available from all major consumer electronics stores and online shops:
- Amazon
- MediaMarkt
- or on the official one JBL website
Conclusion
My verdict on the JBL Xtreme 3 is quite positive. The Xtreme 3 is a very high-quality and beautiful speaker that delivers a very good sound. As already mentioned, the battery life is good, but it could be better. Features like the JBL Portable App, the water resistance and the possibility to use the speaker as a power bank also convinced me. All in all, I am completely convinced of the Xtreme 3, which is why I recommend it without reservation. The price is relatively high, but you get a lot for your money here.
